Luca Connell has had plenty of ups and down since leaving Wanderers nearly four years ago.

The midfielder burst onto the scene, breaking into the Bolton side under Phil Parkinson before he was later prized away by Scottish giants Celtic.

The 22-year-old failed to make a first-team appearance for the Hoops and had a couple of loan spells at Queen’s Park.

He returned to English football last summer and has been a key figure for Barnsley over the past season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award.

Connell featured in both legs of the play-off semi-final against Wanderers, setting up Liam Kitching’s winner at Oakwell.

The midfielder is now preparing to face Sheffield Wednesday in the Wembley final this afternoon as Michael Duff’s side aim to make an immediate return to the Championship.

“When I left (Bolton) it was a sad time because I’d been there for 11 years,” he told The Liverpool Echo.

“There’s a lot of people there who I’d spent time with and a lot of my mates are still there, but at the time the money helped the club out quite a lot.

“It was hard because a lot of the lads weren’t getting paid. I know they’re footballers and everything about money, but they’ve got families to look after so it’s hard for them to focus while the stuff is going on off the pitch.

“The Celtic move was massive for me. I’ve been asked what’s the main thing I’ve picked up since I was there and I’d say the winning mentality.

“Although I wasn’t playing, just to be around everyone. The way it is up there, you have to win. They don’t accept draws or losses, and I think that’s what I brought with me.

“With the loans, it was good just to get back playing. I met a lot of good people on the way and I’ve got to be grateful for them getting me back to where I am today.”

Wednesday reached the final following a remarkable comeback against Peterborough despite trailing 4-0 at the halfway stage.

“They were more or less written off by everyone. You couldn’t see where they’d come back because Peterborough were in such good form,” Connell added.

“They carried it into the first game, but there’s no doubting Sheffield Wednesday have good players.

“They’ve got a good manager and a good set-up. It helped them get back into the game and it shows that if it’s late on and we’re winning, we’ll have to be wary that it’s not over until the final whistle.”